Barotropic Influences on the Growth and Decay of Nonlinear Baroclinic Waves

Abstract

nonlinear behavior of baroclinic waves is studied by means of numerical integrations of the primitive equations for initial zonal-mean states with almost identical temperature fields but differing barotropic flow components. The amplitude of the wave motion, and to a lesser extent that of the eddy transfers of heat and momentum, differ substantially from case to case. Some of this sensitivity is traced to distinctly barotropic effects which arise during the nonlinear evolution of the waves.